Segway Tours Roll Into Apple Valley

A few new sets of wheels are headed to Apple Valley next month.

All American Segway, based in Rochester, will be expanding its Segway tour business; the first stop is in Apple Valley, where company President Ken Smith will lead two-hour Segway nature tours during October, the peak fall-color season.

Smith, who founded the company in 2009 under the name Ultimate Segway, said it was his plan to expand after five years.

"I can't wait anymore," Smith said.

He said three years ago, there were probably less than 50 Segway tour companies in the world; now, there are more than 800.

While the past two years were somewhat rough, the average rider at the Rochester location has come back four times, Smith said; he said people also come down from the Twin Cities.

Smith also recently partnered with deal website Groupon to sell 723 discounted tours at the Apple Valley site already.

"It's becoming really popular," he said of riding the two-wheeled personal vehicle, which is uniquely self-balancing. "It's sort of like chocolate or caffeine—it's addictive."

Apple Valley Segway Tours

Smith said two of his three business partners are from Apple Valley, and when looking around this area for somewhere to do tours, he found that Apple Valley doesn’t charge a fee for conducting business out of a park space. From Lac Lavon, Smith will be able to guide riders around Crystal Lake in Burnsville, and , as well.

For at least the first year, “I will personally guide every single tour,” said Smith, who has seven years’ experience on Segways.

Smith said All American Segway will offer a few different tour loops—six-mile tours for beginners and eight-mile tours for advanced riders— all six people at a time. Returning riders won’t have to go through a training exercise, which sets the company apart from others, Smith said.

When Smith started out in the Segway business, he thought most of his customers would be of the younger set—not so, he said.

Most customers are middle-aged or older; Smith said he’s had many customers who aren’t able to walk well on their own, but on a Segway are able to experience moving at speeds of several miles per hour.

Making customers happy is a priority, he said.

Further Expansion

Already in Rochester and elsewhere, All American Segway has partnered with other companies and organizations to offer Segway rides and tours—sometimes for corporate events, sometimes a 10-minute ride for $5 at a local festival, Smith said.

Smith and his partners plan to open a storefront somewhere in Apple Valley, Burnsville or Eagan, he said; in 2012, tours will start along the Root River State Trail in Lanesboro, according to the company’s website.

But more expansive franchise plans are in the works. Smith said during the winter the company will try to offer holiday lights tours in warmer climates.

There’s also potential for partnering with businesses to do indoor Segway activities during the winter, like, hypothetically, at a place like a roller rink or an indoor festival.

“We can do a lot of things,” Smith said.

For more information about All American Segway’s Apple Valley tours, which will be offered multiple times daily throughout October, visit the All American Segway website.